Salem man killed in Beaverton dump truck accident

Construction site flagger John Sparks, 51, of Salem died Saturday after being run over by a dump truck. The Beaverton accidental death took place on 173rd Avenue, near Walker Road in Washington County where construction crews have been at work since July.

Witnesses said Sparks was doing his job as a traffic flagger when the dump truck backed over him. Police investigating the Oregon truck accident say it is likely Sparks was standing in the truck’s blind spot when he was hit. The driver of the truck was checked for drug or alcohol use, but a Beaverton police detective told reporters at the scene the tragic death “just looks like a freak accident.”
Sparks, an employee of Mama Jo’s Flagging, died at the scene. Residents near the work site lit candles in Sparks’ memory, and have also constructed a makeshift memorial.